Factorization methods in radiative transfer theory

Published in Astrofizika, Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 706–708, October–December, 1995.     

The polarization-free approximation applied to multi-level non-LTE radiative transfer

The polarization-free (POF) approximation (Trujillo Bueno and Landi Degl'Innocenti, 1996) is capable of accounting for the approximate influence of the magnetic field on the statistical equilibrium, without actually solving the full Stokes vector radiative transfer equation. The method introduces the Zeeman splitting or broadening of the line absorption profile I in the scalar radiative transfer equation, but the coupling between Stokes I and the other Stokes parameters is neglected. The expected influence of the magnetic field is largest for strongly-split strong lines and the effect is greatly enhanced by gradients in the magnetic field strength. Formally the interaction with the other Stokes parameters may not be neglected for strongly-split strong lines, but it turns out that the error in Stokes I obtained through the POF approximation to a large extent cancels the neglect of interaction with the other Stokes parameters, so that the resulting line source functions and line opacities are more accurate than those obtained with the field-free approach. Although its merits have so far only been tested for a two-level atom, we apply the POF approximation to multi-level non-LTE radiative transfer problems on the premise that there is no essential difference between these two cases. Final verification of its validity in multi-level cases still awaits the completion of a non-LTE Stokes vector transfer code.For two realistic multi-level cases (CaII and MgI in the solar atmosphere) it is demonstrated that the POF method leads to small changes, with respect to the field-free method, in the line source functions and emergent Stokes vector profiles (much smaller than for a two-level atom). Real atoms are dominated by strong ultraviolet lines (only weakly split) and continua, and most lines with large magnetic splitting (in the red and the infrared) are at higher excitation energies, i.e. they are relatively weak and unable to produce significant changes in the statistical equilibrium. We find that it is generally unpredictable by how much the POF results will differ from the field-free results, so that it is nearly always necessary to confirm predictions by actual computations.The POF approximation provides more reliable results than the field-free approximation without significantly complicating the radiative transfer problem, i.e. without solving any extra equations and without excessive computational resource requirements, so that it is to be preferred over the field-free approximation.     

Application of the superconvergence properties of the Galerkin approximation to radiative transfer

The superconvergence Galerkin approximation is introduced to calculate some functionals arising in radiative transfer problems. Forward and backward radiation heat fluxes are calculated for comparison.     

Generalised eddington approximation for radiative transfer problems in spherically-symmetric moving media

A moment method with three stream division of the radiation field was suggested by Wilson, Wan and Sen (1980) for solving radiative transfer problems in stationary, non-grey extended shells surrounding a central star. Use was made of the generalised Eddington relations as the closure conditions of the moment equations. In the present paper the same method has been utilised to study the radiative transfer problems in a non-grey, expanding gaseous spherical shells surrounding a central star. The transfer equation has been set in comoving frame in spherical geometry. The radiation and material quantities, angles and frequencies have been expressed in comoving frame. The mean intensity, flux and K-integrals have been calculated for extensive atmospheres in the presence of different velocity fields.     

Some new nonlinear relations of radiative transfer theory

This paper presents some new results concerning the generalization and physical interpretation of Rybicki's quadratic and bilinear relations. The fundamental equations obtained on the basis of Ambartsumian's invariance principle and regarded as its extension to all depths in the atmosphere, imply Q- and R-relations have a more general structure than those known up to the present. These equations admit a simple probabilistic interpretation. Some bilinear relations are derived to connect the transfer problems of different sorts. For the sources distributed in the semi-infinite atmosphere by exponential law, separate Q- and R-relations are obtained.Published in Astrofizika, Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 577–586, October–December, 1995.     

Advances in radiative transfer

This review describes advances in radiative transfer theory since about 1985. We stress fundamental aspects and emphasize modern methods for the numerical solution of the transfer equation for spatially multidimensional problems, for both unpolarized and polarized radiation. We restrict the discussion to two-level atoms with noninverted populations for given temperature, density and velocity fields. Unfortunately this article was originally published with typesetter's errors: The correct publication date was 25 February 2006, not 3 January 2006. The content was not in the final form. The publishers wish to apologize for this mistake. The online version of the original version can be found at /10.1007/s00159-005-0025-8.     

OnH-functions of radiative transfer

Chandrasekhar'sH-functionH(z) corresponding to the dispersion functionT(z)=| _rs –frs(z)|, where [f _rs (z)] is of rank 1, is obtained in terms of a Cauchy integral whose density functionQ(x, ₁, ₂,...) can be approximated by approximating polynomials (uniformly converging toQ(x)) having their coefficients expressed as known functions of the parameters _r 's. A closed form approximation ofH(z) to a sufficiently high degree of accuracy is then readily available by term by term integration.     

Bilinear integrals of the radiative transfer equation

It is shown that the group of problems in the theory of radiative transfer that are reducible to the sourcefree problem admits a class of integrals involving quadratic moments of the intensity of arbitrarily high orders. Based on a variational principle, it is found that these integrals, which include the R-integral, follow from the corresponding conservation laws. Some of the results are generalized to the case of anisotropic scattering.     

Numerical methods in polarized radiative transfer

This paper looks at three aspects of numerical methods for solving polarized radiative transfer problems associated with spectral line formation in the presence of a magnetic field. First we prove Murphy's law for Stokes evolution operators which is the basis of the efficient algorithm used in the SPSR software package to compute the Stokes line depression contribution functions. Then we use a two-stream model to explain the efficacy of the field-free method in which the non-LTE line source function in a uniform magnetic field is approximated by the source function neglecting the magnetic field. Finally we introduce a totally new and computationally efficient approach to solving non-LTE problems based on a method of sparsely representing integral operators using wavelets. As an illustration, the wavelet method is used to solve the source function integral equation for a two-level atomic model in a finite atmosphere with coherent scattering, ignoring polarization.     

The interaction principle in radiative transfer

We describe the interaction principle which is of fundamental importance to the theory of radiative transfer in one-, two-, and three-dimensional geometry. We also describe the practical difficulties associated with this principle in these geometries.     

On multi-region problems in radiative transfer

TheF _N method is used to solve radiative transfer problems, based on the general anisotropically scattering model, in multi-layer atmospheres.